


Jake and the Haunted Mansion

by keepholtingon



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Disbanded Nine-Nine, Established Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, F/M, Jake Peralta has ADHD, Mystery, Paranormal, Parents Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, mansion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:00:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25902475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepholtingon/pseuds/keepholtingon
Summary: It's been four years since the Nine-Nine disbanded. Everyone has gotten new, adult, professional jobs...except for Jake and Charles. They have opted for running a YouTube channel documenting their ghost hunting antics, amassing a huge, cult-like fan following. They are awaiting their "big break" - and they hope to find it in a legendary artist's haunted mansion. The gang gets back together once again to solve a case in typical Nine-Nine style.See also: Jake has a hard time letting go of his life as a detective, so in typical Jake Peralta style, he throws himself into something new and fun and does it full-force instead of actually dealing with his feelings!
Relationships: Jake Peralta & Amy Santiago, Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, Kevin Cozner/Ray Holt
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	Jake and the Haunted Mansion

**Author's Note:**

> To: peraltageist@gmail.com  
> From: aracellioneil@gmail.com  
> Subject: URGENT: Haunted Mansion - Brooklyn, NY
> 
> Jake and Charles,
> 
> Hey guys! First of all, I love your channel! My wife and I watch it all the time together and are huge fans!
> 
> I was hoping you’d be able to investigate my father’s house. Whenever I visit, I hear footsteps and whispers when no one else is around. Things have been getting more intense lately. I’ve been smelling lavender perfume, books have been flying off the shelves, things go missing, etc. It hasn’t been anything particularly violent, but I’m starting to get very anxious, as my father is very old and I don’t feel comfortable leaving him there by himself.
> 
> I’m hoping you can come by this weekend and do some sleuthing to figure out what exactly is going on…
> 
> P.S. I’ve attached a few short clips and some pictures below. They’re kind of blurry, but in the one you can see a dark shadow in the banister. The videos are choppy, but they show a book falling off the shelf. I hope this convinces you to give me a chance. Please.
> 
> Hopeful,  
> Aracelli O’Neil

Jake stared at the computer screen, tapping his foot against his chair, trying to think of a response to the email he had just received. It _was_ pretty interesting. Usually, it was just people asking him to investigate abandoned warehouses or their childhood homes with “negative energy.” He always took them seriously, of course, but more often than not, nothing paranormal ever actually happened. He just got a lot of cool footage of old architecture and creepy things like forgotten toys and chipped statues in overgrown gardens. That, and everyone seemed to love his crazy antics and commentary. Charles always said that was why they were successful, at least.

He starred it, and clicked through his inbox in search of any other interesting cases. He had been here in the study for four hours already, clicking and scrolling through his comment sections, and Reddit threads, answering his fans’ questions and theories on the new video he had uploaded earlier. He retweeted some fan art of himself and Charles on their latest adventure to The Dakota, the mansion where John Lennon was assassinated. They didn’t get much, but everyone loved the interviews with new and former workers, and seeing Charles scared out of his mind when he saw a little girl in period-piece clothing, like the local legends go. 

He smiled as he read through a comment from a fan, detailing how happy the channel made her, and how she binge-watched Jake’s videos before her chem final instead of, well, studying, and she had to go now because her mom was yelling at her to get off the computer and eat supper, but she loved him and couldn’t wait for the next video. There were plenty more like that: kids who watched the videos at sleepovers, tired professors who watched in their haunted classrooms, grocery store clerks watching on their cigarette breaks, exhausted parents forced by their teens to buy their own ghost-hunting equipment so they could be just like Jake and Charles.

It was _awesome_ , he thought, that so many people took time out of their busy days to watch _him_ on his adventures week after week. He always made sure to let his fans know that they made him just as happy as he seemed to make them, and that made it all worth the long nights.

It wasn’t what he had always envisioned as his career, but he was grateful for the random idea he had one day, and even more grateful for his best friend’s enthusiasm to go along with it.

“Hey, babe,” Amy greeted him, walking into the study. He jumped. He wasn’t expecting her to come walking in so late. “I was just checking to see if you were still up, and you are.” She glanced at the computer screen. “It’s almost two, Jake. You should get to bed soon.”

He turned around in his chair, ready for some smart ass response, but stopped. She was wearing her usual fuzzy, pink floral bathrobe and slippers, and her hair was wrapped up in a towel hat. Her face was slightly pink yet glowing from the shower still. She held a steaming mug of hot cocoa close to her chest with both hands wrapped around it. She lifted it to her lips, taking a sip. Amy was always so beautiful, and she didn’t even have to try.

She smirked. “Are you just going to keep staring at me, or…?”

Jake rolled his eyes. “Can’t I just admire my beautiful wife without getting a lecture?”

She grinned. “Unfortunately, no. I need you to take a break from your _adoring fans_ for tonight because we have a busy day tomorrow, remember?” She pointed to a sticky note tacked to the bulletin board above the computer, carefully written and placed there by her over a week ago.

> _NOTE TO JAKE: Dinner at Holt’s house on Friday! 4 PM. Wear something nice! :)_

_Shit_ . He had completely forgotten. And of course he didn’t prepare an outfit earlier either. Hopefully his usual would suffice: plaid shirt, black jacket, and his “nice jeans.” If he had remembered to wash _them_ at least… And then, hell, what would Mac wear? How could he have overlooked something like this?

He ran a hand through his messy hair. “Sorry, babe. I completely forgot.”

She sighed. It made Jake’s heart sink. “I figured you would,” she said, “so I stopped by the dry cleaner’s on my way home from work.” She dug through her pocket for the receipt. “Pick it up on your way back from the pharmacy, too, please. I noticed you’re almost out of your prescription.”

He took the paper and tacked it up on the bulletin board. Then, after a doubtful look from his wife, he took it back down and stuffed it in his pocket. “Thanks, Ames,” he said, smiling sheepishly. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I appreciate it. And also, I’m sorry. It was irresponsible of me to forget that. You didn’t have to do all that for me.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Jake, but it’s fine. We’ll just try a different thing next time. Maybe a phone app, since you’re always on it?” she suggested, but not as a dig on him. She was always looking for the next thing to make their lives easier. She knew how hard Jake could be on himself. That was something he was immensely grateful for. She didn’t let him make excuses for himself. Just find a different solution to the problem, and try again next time. She was methodic like that. She was the calm boat in his stormy ocean of a brain. The life preserver.

“Oh, and… I also need you to take Mac to the neighbor’s apartment after school. Mrs. Lechtenberg offered to babysit him for free while we’re gone, and he loves her and her weird cats.” She shuddered. “Anyway, we don’t leave until three-thirty, but I figured that we could use the extra time to, you know, do stuff.” She smiled, playfully batting her eyelashes.

“Sexy times, you mean?” he said, scoffing. “God, Ames. _Grow up_.”

She laughed. “Just messing with you. No, but yeah, I just want to make sure we have plenty of time. I want to look my best. You know. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Holt, and I just want to make a good impression. It’s my first professional job, besides, you know...” 

Yeah, he knew. It had been four years since the Nine-Nine had disbanded. Amy had finally decided to put her BA in Art History to good use. She became an Art Restorer and Historian at the Brooklyn Museum. It paid the bills and afforded them a decently-priced apartment for now, while Jake was still searching for a “real job” when he didn’t have his hands full with taking care of Mac, along with managing his YouTube channel. Besides,it paid well. He was just looking for his big break. Something that would really take off and set him up with the greats. His dream was to have his own Netflix show one day, going on his adventures with Charles by his side. It would be _awesome_.

“Yeah, I get it,” Jake said distractedly, getting ready to log off for the night... until he remembered the email. He brought it up on the screen. “Wait, before you go, take a look at this,” he said, scooting the chair over so she could see. “This woman messaged me earlier asking me to check out her dad’s haunted house. Does this name sound familiar to you? I’m just trying to figure out why I’ve never heard of this place before. It looks cool. And expensive as hell.”

Amy squinted as she read the email. “Aracelli O’Neil? No, I… Oh, wait. Yeah!” Her eyes widened. “That’s Jack O’Neil’s daughter! The famous painter! We were assigned a few of his paintings a while back to restore, and I did a walking tour about his life and paintings. He was really talented. He used to host these huge parties there at his mansion, but he became kind of a recluse as he got older, and he had -- ” Then: “Jake, you _have_ to do this!” she begged. “It could be a really great video! I mean, what if he’s there?” Jake smiled. He could tell her mind was going a hundred miles per hour with the possibilities. Usually, she sort of nodded glazily along as he detailed every bit of his wild adventures. Amy was never a believer in the paranormal, but she was a believer in history, and this would be an awesome opportunity for her to showcase her skills. 

“Okay,” he said after a minute. “Let’s do it.”

“Wait, really!” Amy exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. “This is going to be great!” Her eyes were alight with excitement. “Oh! I actually have a binder about him, if you…”

“Oh, go get it.”

“Thanks, Jake!” She flew into the other room, her towel hat toppling over and landing on the floor behind her.

Jake smiled to himself. This really could be something. With Amy’s expansive knowledge of all things art history related, and his charming good looks and personality, and Charles’ ability to man the camera… Paired with this desperate daughter looking for answers to her dying father’s haunted mansion... It was looking to be a really, really interesting story. Something that deserved to be told. 

While Amy was rooting through her shelf of her binder collection, Jake began drafting an e-mail back to Aracelli O’Neil.

To: aracellioneil@gmail.com

From: peraltageist@gmail.com

Subject: RE: URGENT: Haunted Mansion - Brooklyn, NY

Aracelli,

Hi! First of all, thanks so much for watching my channel! It means a lot that you love it so much. I can’t wait to do some sleuthing and see what is happening at your father’s house. I hope we can provide some answers for you, and figure out what is causing this paranormal activity.

My wife, Amy, is especially excited to meet you! She works at the Brooklyn Museum and has done tours of your father’s paintings, so if it’s not too much of a bother, she would love to tag along with Charles and I, if that’s okay with you.

Looking forward to meeting with you! Send me a date and time, and we’ll be there.

Excited!!!

Jake Peralta

Professional Ghost Hunter


End file.
